Foundation Bar

Bars·
££££
·
Bronze Award
·
London, WC2H 9JA ·Website·Call020 7836 5005

SquareMeal Review of Foundation Bar

Bronze Award

Some thought, plenty of cash & a fair bit of canny local research (‘checking out the competition’) have gone into transforming this one-time Tube station (formerly The Langley). The result is a mishmash of funky acid trip, retro & street art/culture, but for all its brash swagger & cutesy touches, Foundation is about as genuinely ‘cool, fashionable & edgy’ (their words) as a Ted Baker or All Saints store. Cocktails talk the talk: a hibiscus daiquiri Holly Golightly is suitably excessive at £9, but it’s hardly ‘fabulous, darling’; likewise, pear & cinnamon do little to improve a mojito at £8.50. Still, you can’t go wrong with Petit Chablis, Crozes-Hermitage or Pencarrow Pinot Noir at around £27 a bottle. Musically, the jams are well & truly pumped-up, while bar bites & diner grub come with a US drawl.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Under £30
Cuisines
Bars

Location

5 Langley Street, London, WC2H 9JA

020 7836 5005 020 7836 5005

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Sun 4pm-1am (Sun -12M)

Reviews

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6 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Kelly E

17 November 2011  
Food & Drink 3
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Generally quite a good bar, quite a buzzy atmosphere, especially as we went on a Wednesday night. I had reserved an area for my group of friends and was glad I did as every other table was booked up too. The presentation of everything is well thought out and quirky – food menus printed onto old vinyl and drinks served from jam jars! Good selection of cocktails too. The food menu however leaves a lot to be desired – nothing very exciting to snack on easily. We ordered a couple of the small bites to share, but they were so small we could have done with a lot more. It was more style than substance. The pulled pork spring rolls were really tasty, just could have done with more. My friend ordered the burger which was basic but adequate. The early happy hour is definitely a bonus, with all drinks half price until 7.30pm. We were having a little celebration and worked our way through several bottles of the prosecco which was really good value for money. Disappointed we weren’t trusted with real glasses though and were given plastic flutes to drink from instead! Would go back, but definitely book an area and eat beforehand!

charlie W

18 February 2011  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Used to go to this place back when it was The Langley, decided to give it a visit to see what changes they had made. I expected a lick of paint and not much else but was taken aback when i walked through the doors. WOW is all i can say! It looks nothing like the Langley used to, its a new quircky cocktail bar with great music and loads of seating for all your party. We had dinner in there which was more than reasonably priced and were greeted on the door by a very polite young man who gave us a personal tour. I'll definantly be back again…and again…and again

Effie P

31 March 2010  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 5
Nothing particularly bad you can say about The Langley. The first few hours of trading (each day) are happy hour, which means 50% off all drinks and discounted price on sharing platters. The music is cool, chilled out house music that progresses as the night goes on. I frequent the bar a lot, and I can confidently say that mid week onwards is the best time to go. Not because it's quiet by any means, but simply because the crowd it gathers is so attractive. Wether you are having a few post work drinks or on a night out it's worth popping in, to take advantage of the excellent value drinks of nothing else.

Di C

21 February 2010  
Food & Drink 3
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 2.5
My friend and I looked forward to our early evening out at The Langley. We did have a good time, we had a great table and made use of the Happy Hour. What made it less than perfect was the service. It wasn't a busy night to keep the waiting staff rushed off their feet, they just didn't come back to our table once we had given our initial order. The waiter said he'd be back to take our drinks order but never did, we went to the bar ourselves. The food arrived very quickly and was good, but no one came to ask if we would have liked a dessert, it was disappointing. We did get the 50% off the food bill, but only because we asked. So overall not a bad night but it could have been so much better.

Colin W

26 June 2009  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 4.5
I Visited the restaurant last night and was very impressed, initially on arrival I was a bit worried as the restaurant was not very busy at all (which can sometimes be a sign that a bad meal is in prospect). I need not have worried! The staff were very good indeed, it was no problem that we took our time ordering, the staff were happy to get drinks for us and wait patiently. Even though it was not busy it had a comfortable relaxing feel about (Cool decor with large tables and a funky feel). As the main focus of this place seems to be the bar areas, I was expecting average food, but the food was faultless and very good value, Perfectly cooked steak and the same for the sea bass we ordered. I was especially impressed with the happy hour ! It meant drinks at half price including the wine Pinot Noir at £ 13 !! After dinner we sat in the comfy sofas in the bar areas till late. Definitely will visit again.

Billy C

22 September 2008  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
On a saturday night out with a few freinds we wanted to go for a drink somewhere and ended up in the Langley. For a night in London where I am normally dissapointed by overhyped and over priced venues this was a breath of fresh air. £3 to get in and about £3.00 for a bottle of Star/Tiger or £5.50 for a cocktail I was more than happy, the bar staff were quick, the drinks were reasonable and the music was brilliant! Everybody in there was just up for a good time and the dance floor was constantly full. If you wanted to have a break from the tunes there was plenty of places to go and chill out for a while but I didnt stray for long. That one drink turned into many and we all stayed until the lights came on at one…that was my only complaint…I was ready to carry on into the wee small hours! Even the bouncers were freindly. I received many a bleary eyed text on Sunday morning saying what a great night they had, Highly recommended!
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